Summary:Battle with swords and whips in this retro-style action game brought to you by game creator Koji Igarashi and Inti Creates!

Play as Zangetsu, a demon slayer bearing a deep grudge, who must travel through perilous lands to defeat a powerful demon lurking in a dark castle. Zangetsu will meetBattle with swords and whips in this retro-style action game brought to you by game creator Koji Igarashi and Inti Creates!

Play as Zangetsu, a demon slayer bearing a deep grudge, who must travel through perilous lands to defeat a powerful demon lurking in a dark castle. Zangetsu will meet fellow travelers along the way, who can join your journey as playable characters.

Switching to these characters with their unique abilities will unlock new paths through the treacherous stages. Your choices in recruiting these adventurers will change the difficulty of the game, and may even affect the ending!

*Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is the 8-bit style game promised as a stretch goal of the 2015 Kickstarter campaign for "Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night."…Expand

Aside from the repetition, which is, in retrospect, how many gamers got longevity out of old Castlevania games, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a superb game. It is ideal for gamers who want an old-school challenge as well as an old-school game in both aesthetic and design.

Classicvanias and retro action games fans can give a chance to Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon on blind faith. This game is a beautiful, really enjoyable - even if it can considered a bit short - and vibrant tribute to Castlevania III : Dracula's Curse with some great action and platforming, beautiful 8-Bit graphics and musics, in a new setting that we hope will fulfill its potential with Ritual of the Night.

Curse of the Moon isn’t incredibly challenging. You can finish it in one or two sittings, and that’s all this game really deserves. I had fun experimenting with Curse of the Moon’s four heroes, but for a game so clearly inspired by a beloved franchise, the level design feels largely uninspired. While I was initially swooned by this Castlevania doppelganger, its nostalgic spell was broken once I realized its 8-bit beauty was only skin deep.

As far as throwbacks go, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a worthwhile venture. It captures the essence of yesteryear's classics, while offering numerous options to comfort an audience that might be unfamiliar with that time period. The game is also quite entertaining, and the replay-value is quite high. Still, it is not possible to shake the feeling that something is missing. It's as if the developer decided the safe choice was the right one, and left all of the risk-taking up to the player. Will this game be remembered in thirty years? Only time will tell.

Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a fun 8-bit nostalgia trip that succeeds in capturing the aesthetic, challenge and gameplay of the Castlevania games of that era, though it doesn’t try to bring anything new on the table. Hopefully, its big brother, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, will not try to only repeat Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, but it will be a true spiritual successor, advancing further the genre of metroidvania.

An excellent tribute to Castlevania games of old (particularly the third on on the NES), sharing the same gamplay and aesthetics. While a runAn excellent tribute to Castlevania games of old (particularly the third on on the NES), sharing the same gamplay and aesthetics. While a run through the game can take just about 3-5 hours (depending on your skill level), the game encourages multiple runs through branched levels and the possibiility for either killing recruiting new characters. Multiple difficulty levels and ways to go through the game give it some good replay value, and while the game is not as challenging as Castlevania 3, playing thorugh it with just the main character on nightmare more may prove a struggle even for veteran gamers. Giving it a 10, both because the game has virtually no issues and because it's getting some unfair reviews.…Expand

The difficulty was perfect, it was Castlevania 3 but better, and was a fun game to play. The only thing I would change is that I would haveThe difficulty was perfect, it was Castlevania 3 but better, and was a fun game to play. The only thing I would change is that I would have preferred it to be 16 bit. I am personally still waiting for another game like Super Castlevania mixed with a complete version of Simon's Quest. Still, this is a great game!…Expand

It's difficult to give a general score to this game, because, while being well-produced, it's envisioned to be run in a very specific wayIt's difficult to give a general score to this game, because, while being well-produced, it's envisioned to be run in a very specific way (multiple runs, in veteran level, with increasingly difficult mode).

The other alternatives (straight single run (even in veteran level), or multiple runs at casual level) are relatively easy, making the game pretty short (2/4 hours and without interesting challenges).…Expand

Overall a competent throwback that has more than most games from the time it's emulating but still feels lacking compared to contemporaryOverall a competent throwback that has more than most games from the time it's emulating but still feels lacking compared to contemporary games.

Also, while I backed it on Kickstarter it took me weeks to get my code after non-backers were able to purchase.

The game gives you the option of two difficulties: Veteran, which is supposedly designed for people who are used to these sorts of games, andThe game gives you the option of two difficulties: Veteran, which is supposedly designed for people who are used to these sorts of games, and Casual, which is for people that aren't used to the NES-era Castlevania difficulty. Veteran is still unbelievably easy. You unlock a new mode called Nightmare after beating the game (which also unlocks an additional stage and the "true" ending, but it's 10 more minutes of gameplay and the story is a generic throwaway affair so who cares), but it only makes the game slightly more difficult by giving the bosses more health and attacks. There's also an Ultimate mode you can unlock but it's basically the superpowered steamroll mode for the game. Hence Veteran is the highest difficulty, you can make it a bit harder by going Solo Zangetsu (which is how you unlock the said Ultimate mode), but no matter how you cut it, this game is very, very easy. Veteran mode feels like it should be called Casual, simply due to the game's design, Veteran is nowhere near an NES-era action-platformer in difficulty...

Basically an easier Castlevania III (NOT a Metroidvania) with no slowdown and flicker that only occurs when your character is in water. You also have branching paths within stages instead of having the option to choose different stages as the game progresses. You can have up to four playable characters and switch between them on the fly, you can ignore them or sacrifice them as well for different endings. Soundtrack is decent but not nearly as inspired as the classic Castlevania tracks, I can't remember any of the music and I just completed the game, they really dropped the ball here. Worth playing if you want a classic Castlevania game but are sick of the official classic Castlevania games because you've played them too many times, but otherwise this is "same old" with next to nothing to set it apart and honestly I wouldn't put this higher than a 4/10, yeah I said "worth playing if you want a classic Castlevania game but are sick of official classic Castlevania games" but that doesn't mean this is a passable game, just the only one on Steam I can think of that might remotely scratch that itch. It does end up feeling like "No Name Brand Castlevania III". It takes advantage of modern tech for higher resolutions and no slowdown (but again there is flicker when in water), but otherwise the overall quality (especially in the music department) is a dive. There's also a boss rush mode you can unlock.

Also seems to be more than a little overpriced, but I'm comparing it to something like "Castle in the Darkness" which cost me $6.50CDN on launch and is a better game (despite being derivative in its gameplay and some of its art, the music and level design were clearly labors of love). Too much of a "been there, done that" with not much else put into this to really wow. When I beat it I was dumbfounded by how easy it was.…Expand